The Third Task
by mokimik
Summary: Ever wondered what happened to Hermione while Harry was fighting for his life during GOF? Her thoughts during the third task and the chaos that came afterwards.....
1. standing at the sidelines

_Hogwarts castle, 24th of June, near dusk._

"Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes' time, I will be asking you to make your way down to the Quidditch field for the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Will the champions please follow Mr. Bagman down to the stadium now."

Harry got up, and Hermione and all the Weasleys wished him good luck, but as he appeared to be slightly green, she wasn't sure he had heard them. He seemed to be more confident then with the last two tasks, though, as along with Fleur, Cedric and Victor, he headed out of the Great Hall. Staring at her dessert, she suddenly felt a bit sick herself, and shoved the pudding out of her way.

Ron, sitting beside her, noticed her movement.

"Not hungry anymore?"

She shook her head.

"Neither am I," he confessed quietly, as the rest of his family talked excitedly. "I think we're both more nervous than he is."

She gave Ron a smile. She had forgotten how nice Ron could be when he wanted to.

Dumbledore stood up, and the Great Hall fell silent.

"My dear students, colleagues and guests. It is a great honour for me to invite you to the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament!"

Once the words had left his mouth, all she could hear was the scraping of stools. Mrs. Weasley was attempting to keep the seven of them together, so, feeling like part of a large human train, Hermione followed them to the Quidditch field, which was barely recognizable. Ron seemed not to have known about what had been done to it, as he whimpered quietly when he saw the maze of hedges. She gave him a sympathetic look as Mrs. Weasley found rather nice seats in the middle of one of the Quidditch stands, giving them a nice view over the maze. Just below her, Hermione could see Harry, Victor, Fleur, Cedric and some teachers, standing at the edge of the maze. It seemed to be the only entrance. Ludo Bagman's voice suddenly boomed out of nowhere, and she saw that the teachers were splitting up, each walking to a particular spot at the edge of the maze.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in first place, with eighty-five points each – Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts School!" Hermione and Ron both cheered loudly, as did the rest of the Weasleys. "In second place, with eighty points – Mr. Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute!" More applause. Hermione noticed that Ron – probably on purpose- wasn't clapping. "And in third place – Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy!"

Hermione saw Harry waving at them, and she waved back, beaming encouragingly, while trying to ignore the knot her stomach had suddenly turned into.

"So…on my whistle, Harry and Cedric!" said Bagman. "Three – two – one —"

He blew sharply on his whistle, and Harry and Cedric hurried forward into the maze. Hermione had to squint a bit to see what was happening in the maze: It was rather dark in there. For a second time, the whistle was blown, and she saw Viktor running into the entrance.

"Oh, he's such a talented boy," she heard Mrs. Weasley say. "Didn't you tell me last summer about how well he played at the World Cup, Ron?"

Ron mumbled something, and frowned a bit, keeping his eyes on the maze. Hermione sighed and Ginny, sitting on her other side, heard her and giggled.

"What's there to giggle about?"

"Well, what's there to sigh about?"

Hermione had forgotten how much more blunt Ginny had become this term.

"I just don't understand why Ron has to act like such a complete prat when Victor is the subject," she whispered. Ginny giggled again.

"He doesn't like you being his girlfriend." At this, Hermione got red. Normally she would deny it, but she knew that wouldn't help matters with Ginny; the girl just knew, whether she was told or not. The whistle was blown again, and beneath them, they saw Fleur's long hair blow out behind her as she ran towards the entrance. A moment later, she too was consumed by the darkness.

Hermione leant towards her left, where Ron was sitting.

"Where's Harry?"

"There, at the left. Those Omnioculars would have come in pretty handy for this," she head him mumble.

Hermione watched Harry stop for a moment – probably to do that handy Point Me spell– and then take the left way of a fork in front of them.

In the meantime, Ludo Bagman was summing up what the champions had done so far in the Tournament, but Hermione found it hard to listen to him. She was trying to keep up with Harry and Viktor again. Next to Ron, Mrs. Weasley was fidgeting in her chair.

"Okay, remember when I said we were both feeling more nervous then Harry?" Ron whispered. Hermione nodded. "Well, add our nerves together, throw Harry's in, just for the hell of it, and you get my mum."

She giggled.

All over the stands, people were slowly realising what sort of dangers the maze held. Ten minutes after Harry entered the maze, they saw a burst of flame almost burn down one hedge.

"A dragon!" Hermione heard a first year scream, but it couldn't be: dragons were taller.

"It's even worse than that," Ron said, shocked. "It's a couple of Blast-Ended-Skrewts!" Hermione took her eyes off of Harry and gasped as she saw Cedric, robes billowing smoke, barely escape from Hagrid's terrifying creations. Bill bent forward from Mrs. Weasley's other side, interested in the source of the disturbance.

"I've never heard of those creatures. What are they?"

"They're monsters. Rumour has it Hagrid bred them himself," George muttered. "Trust me; they're too much for you, or even for Charlie."

But Hermione didn't hear Bill's response. Her eyes were back on the maze. Something was happening to Harry and in shock, she grabbed Ron's hand.

"Look! A dementor!" She felt Ron's hand tense under hers, and they both looked intently at their friend.

"This is even harder to watch than the first task! At least then we knew what Harry had to do!"

"You did," Ron said softly. "I was only the world's biggest prat for not speaking to my best friend." Uncomfortable, Hermione said nothing, focusing all her attention back on Harry, who seemed to know what he was doing. Something silvery – though it was too difficult to distinguish its shape, Hermione knew it was his Patronus – erupted from the tip of his wand and galloped towards the dementor, which fell back and… _wait…. It can't be…_

"Since when does a dementor trip over its sleeves?" she heard Fred say, but before she could ponder that question, Harry had already given them the answer. There was a wisp of smoke, and the dementor vanished – Ron let out the breath he'd been holding and Ginny answered Fred – "It was a boggart!"

Hermione felt her hands trembled. She would have never been as quick as Harry had been, but at the same time, she felt so much pity for the boy there on the ground, who always seemed to attract so much danger, that she gladly would have switched places with him tonight, just to lift his burden a bit.

"Hey, what's Krum doing?" George said. Viktor was standing in one of the lanes at the right side of the maze; if he were to make a hole at his right through the hedges, he would've seen the guards, protecting the outside of the maze.

But his position wasn't what was interesting. Viktor had suddenly stopped, turned, and was now walking back in the direction he had come from.

"He probably realised that he took a wrong turn," Fred said.

Viktor was walking very fast. He was going to bump into Fleur any second now. But somehow… he didn't look like himself. Hermione had seen him walk, and this wasn't how he normally moved.

"Something's off," she whispered to Ginny.

Ginny had barely raised her eyebrows when Viktor came up behind Fleur. The Beauxbatons' champion screamed.

"What's he doing to her?" Fred yelled. Mrs. Weasley was covering her eyes. She didn't seem to find him such a talented boy now. The whole audience was in uproar, but Hermione barely heard them. There was something very wrong. Viktor had just attacked Fleur, who now was lying motionless on the grass in the maze. He stepped over her body, and began to walk in what seemed to be Cedric's direction.

Hermione glanced frantically around the maze, trying to find Harry and make sure he was all right. He was; apparently, he had just passed some yellow mist and was comparing with the others, the closest to the Cup.

"How could he do that? He seemed so nice!" she heard Ginny ask.

"Well, Ginny, people aren't always what they seem," Ron said. He couldn't conceal his glee as he said this and Hermione glared at him furiously.

"If you would just get to know him, I'm sure you would think differently!"

"I don't have to know him. He's just proven himself to be exactly what I said he is: the enemy!"

Letting out a shriek of frustration, she jumped up.

"He isn't the enemy! When has he ever been hostile towards Harry?"

"Yeah, well, you still put that same Harry in danger by going out with that Bulgarian git!"

"Viktor and I never talked about Harry!" Hermione knew that this had simmered under the surface ever since the blow-up after the Yule Ball. Only moments before, she had been relatively calm and intent on not rising to Ron's bait, but now she was oblivious to everything but their row.

"That's not the point! He - he can probably read minds and by dating him, you brought him closer to Harry!"

"Ron," she said, her voice now deadly calm, but trembling with rage, "Has it ever occurred to you that he might not have asked me out to get to Harry? That he noticed I'm a girl, and just likes me?"

At this, Ron seemed to be lost for words. Hermione knew he wouldn't say yes – he would do anything rather than admit he was jealous – but that left "no," and that answer would hurt her even more then she could imagine. _If he says no…_

Fortunately for Ron, his mum saved him.

"You two, stop doing that right now! You have a friend, standing there in a maze, who deserves your attention and your companionship for when he comes out of that maze! Quit bickering with each other and focus on the task!" Before Mrs. Weasley could say more, Ginny screamed, and she wasn't the only one in the audience who did so.

As she sat down again, Hermione saw something that made her Harry was standing in front of a Blast-Ended Skrewt, but not one of the "little ones" they had handled in class. The creature was ten feet tall and its body glittered under the light of the moon and the stars that surrounded the Quidditch pitch. Her hands were trembling and she debated whether to put them in front of her face, or leave them shaking in her lap.

Harry hit the skrewt with some sort of spell, but it rebounded. She saw him try another spell, but this one bounced off as well. Mrs. Weasley was screaming, along with many other girls in the stands, but even if Hermione had wanted to, she couldn't do the same: her voice was completely gone.

Harry staggered backward and fell over. Hermione's hands trembled more than ever, until she felt something else: a hand, coming from the left, covering hers. At that moment, Harry yelled something and another ray of light shot out his wand. The crowd sighed with relief; it seemed to have worked, since, only inches away from the fourth Triwizard champion, the skrewt had frozen. Harry stood up, and ran for his life: whatever the spell it was, it was likely only temporary.

"That was close," Bill said, looking rather drained. The twins nodded, and Ginny let out a long breath that she seemed to have been holding.

Hermione looked to her left and saw Ron looking more terrified then she had ever seen him. Leaning towards him, she said, "Now there's a creature the Ministry should decapitate. Buckbeak really is the perfect pet next to this monster."

Ron looked up and nodded, trying to smile.

"Even Norbert was a pet next to those things."

Hermione had shifted her attention back the maze when Ron suddenly said, "I'm sorry. I… just don't like Viktor."

Having completely forgotten that they had been fighting about him, she looked confusedly at Ron, but then managed to say, "I'm sorry too. I think something's wrong with him, actually – he doesn't usually act that way." Her eyes met Ron's, and Hermione was suddenly aware that they were still holding hands. She could tell he didn't believe her theory about Viktor, but somehow that didn't bother her as much anymore; she was more aware of the hand holding hers than of Ron's disbelief. Quickly, she looked back at the maze. Harry was running through a long path, which was parallel to another. In the other one was Cedric, and, behind him, Viktor.

"What's Krum doing?" she heard Ginny ask, as though from a distance. "Is he attacking Cedric?"

Cedric had fallen; Viktor had cast a spell at his legs. Viktor came closer to Cedric, who now lay on the ground, facing him. Then, suddenly, Viktor cast another spell, and even though no one could hear the incantation, everybody recognized the signs. Cedric's screams of pain and spastic movements were unmistakable.

"Blimey! Is that an Unforgivable?" Fred whispered.

Hermione could not make her mouth move to tell him exactly which one it was.

Mrs. Weasley had left her seat, and Hermione saw her moving toward the judges, who were sitting in the area normally reserved for the professors.

"Probably to ask if the contest can be stopped," Ron said, following her gaze. "Krum's clearly not playing fair, or else he's under a curse or something."

"But it can't be stopped! Only when one of them touches the Cup! The stupid rules are over seven hundred years old – the judges can't do anything!" she said.

"How do you know?" George asked.

"I looked the rules up when Harry had been selected to see if he could get out of it."

"Speaking of Harry, look!" Ron pointed at the maze; Hermione could barely see Harry making a hole through the bushes. He fell through it, and Viktor, noticing Harry, turned around and ran.

"He's fleeing! But why? If he can take Cedric, why not Harry?" Fred mumbled.

But Harry paralysed Viktor before he had turned around the corner and was now helping Cedric up. Then, after what seemed to be a brief conversation, Cedric shot red sparks in the air, marking the place were Viktor was lying.

The silence suddenly seemed overwhelming.

"Why isn't Bagman doing the commentary anymore?" she asked, looking around.

Ron, still holding her hand, squeezed it a bit, distracting her attention from the maze, and to the thing he was pointing at. In the teachers' section, Bagman had disappeared from where he had been sitting and Mrs. Weasley was instead wreaking havoc at the judges' table a few rows above Bagman's seat.

But then Hermione's eye fell on something else particular in the teachers' section. Or rather someone else. Sitting a few rows below Dumbledore, in an empty row, was a huge black dog.

"Look! It's Snuffles!" she whispered to Ron, and he nodded; that had clearly been what he was trying to show her.

Hermione had never seen any dog look so serious in her life, but since its godchild was now performing dangerous tasks, she really couldn't blame it.

She tore her eyes away from Snuffles when George said, "Look, Harry's reached a sphinx!"

Harry's way towards the cup was blocked by an enormous creature. It was lion-like, with the head of a woman.

"What's it doing?" Ginny asked Bill.

"My guess is that it's telling him a riddle he has to solve. That what the sphinxes do who guard the tombs in Egypt, like I showed you when you visited."

Ginny nodded, but then suddenly noticed something else. "Hey, Hermione! There's Ludo Bagman!"

Almost exactly under their box, Hermione could see Bagman's blond head, surrounded by goblins.

"What are those goblins doing here?" Ron asked. "Have they been here ever since we saw them in Hogsmeade?"

"Let's think about that later. I first want to make sure Harry gets alive out this maze."

"Alive? It looks like he going to win!" Fred suddenly yelled enthusiastic.

"No he's not," his twin argued. "Look at Cedric!"

The Triwizard Cup was glittering in the middle of the maze and both Harry and Cedric were running towards it like moths to a flame. Unfortunately for Harry, Cedric was pulling ahead, and his legs were longer than Harry's.

"Come on Harry!"

"Go Cedric!"

The audience was making so much noise. However, Hermione could hear the scream of Ginny above it and she saw immediately why the youngest Weasley was yelling so furiously. Apparently, Cedric and Harry weren't the only ones who were attracted by the glittering cup. Out of nowhere, a huge spider had appeared, running straight at Cedric. Ron flinched visibly. She wasn't sure what happened next. Cedric suddenly noticed the spider and tried to avoid it, but the spider kept going after him. "It's going to kill him!" Ginny squealed.

But Harry shot a spell at the spider, keeping it from killing Cedric. However, the spell didn't have the wanted result; the spider only took the opportunity to turn on Harry.

"WHY does he always have to do that?" she heard Ron say furiously.

Harry was now shooting spell after spell at the creature, but it seemed to have no effect at all: the spider was immune. It jumped on Harry and jerked the boy up in the air. Mrs. Weasley, who had just returned, screamed, and Hermione could see there were tears running down her cheeks.

Harry was struggling to get out of the spider's embrace, but the pincers were closing tighter… and tighter…

She felt herself shaking madly in her seat. _Hold on, Harry!_ her mind screamed. _They can't let you die! _Suddenly, there was an arm around her shoulder; she turned and buried her face in Ron's shoulder, not wanting to see how it would end.

It might have been seconds, or minutes, or even a few hours, but all Hermione knew was that Ron was suddenly yelling in triumph, and with him, the rest of the stands. Hermione looked up to see that the spider had fallen on its back. Harry was lying in the grass with his wand in the air and Cedric stood not too far from him, his wand also raised.

"They did the same curse on the spider, got it at the same time!" Ron tried to explain to her over the cheering.

Hermione saw that Harry was trying to stand up, but was seemingly unable to stand on his own two feet and leaned against a hedge instead.

Cedric, looking over his shoulder at the Triwizard Cup, was talking to him.

"Why doesn't that boy just take the Cup?" she heard Mrs. Weasley say. "Then we could just stop all this nonsense and it would all be over!"

"What is taking them so long? Why doesn't one of them take the Cup?"

"Is it teatime now?" one of the twins said.

But then, to everybody's amazement, Cedric walked towards Harry, helping him up. Harry limped towards the cup with Cedric's help.

"What are they doing?" she mumbled.

"They're taking it together!" Ron yelled enthusiastically. "Cedric is just as stupidly noble an idiot as Harry!"

In the light of the prize standing before them, Hermione could see them both counting and instantly knew that Ron was right.

The screaming and yelling of the audience intensified, as they all understood what the Hogwarts-champions were doing. People were standing up to get a better view of the situation. She and the Weasleys followed their example.

Hermione saw Cedric and Harry, both reaching out for the cup, take a handle each.

But that's when it all went wrong. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, the Cup, the light surrounding it, and the two people grabbing it, had disappeared.

With the quickness of thunder, the feeling in her stomach had come back. And she sunk on her chair, unable to process what had happened.

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Hi there! I'm back. Hope you liked the first chapter. There will be 5, and I have already written them, so expect the updates soon! Huge thanks to my beta Lisa, who made some things more logical, and less then the chaos in my head! I have exams to study for at the moment, so off course I'm busy with writing, because that seems to be the only thing that can keep me a bit relaxed.

In the meantime, leaving me a review would be nice! I still want to know your opinions!

x-mokimik-x


	2. panic on the pitch

Don't. Own. Anything.

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_Hogwarts grounds, Quidditch stands, 24th of June, dusk._

"Hermione?"

She heard Ron call her name worriedly. But she couldn't bear to look up, and instead kept her gaze on her hands. Mrs. Weasley was sobbing uncontrollably, Ginny had apparently left her seat, Fred and George were speculating about what happened, and Bill was trying to calm his mother down, talking to the twins at the same time.

"Shh, mum, it'll be alright…."

"Are you sure this isn't part of the task?"

"Where did he go?"

"Nah, it can't be, look how shocked the teachers are…."

"Where's Ginny?"

"Why does this stuff always happen to him?"

She fought the urge to put her fingers in her ears. If people around her would just quiet down for one moment, she could actually digest what she had seen, because it still felt like a strange dream. For all she knew, Harry had just disappeared under the Invisibility Cloak and was still around somewhere, ready to pop up behind her.

"Do you think Diggory Apparated them both?"

"This is all Dumbledore's fault; he never should have allowed Harry to compete in the first place…"

"Nah, can't be. Where did the cup go if he Apparated them?"

"Mum, calm down for a moment, Harry's probably fine…."

"Maybe he took the cup with him?"

"Where did Ginny go?"

"Relax mum, she's standing over there, next to that blonde Ravenclaw."

"Hermione?"

Ron's voice sounded by her ear, sounding almost as calm as she wanted everyone else to be. She looked up.

"Are you okay? It looked like you collapsed on your seat."

"I'm… I'm… I-I-don't know," she managed to get out.

Around her, other people had started to panic, just like Mrs. Weasley. The noise came through like on a badly tuned radio, full of static and impossible to understand. Only Ron's voice came through clearly.

"Let's get out of here for a moment," he said softly, and he pulled her up and guided her to the exit of the stands.

"But… your mother…"

"She'll be fine… she has three of my brothers to calm her down and make her realise that she's the adult."

The ground just below the stands was in an uproar. Students, teachers, guests, Ministry officials, and even a few ghosts were running and floating around in different directions, none sure where to go or what to do. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione could have sworn that she saw the shaggy black dog running to the maze at full speed. Ron guided her through the chaos, and they walked in the direction of the changing rooms the Quidditch teams used, which were at the other side of the field, where it was fairly quiet.

There, with their backs against the walls, they sat down.

"You okay?" Ron asked again.

"Yeah…" she shook her head, trying to clear her mind. "But what happened? Did Harry really disappear?"

Ron remained silent, but when she looked at him, she saw he was nodding, disbelief plastered across his face.

"I can hardly believe it myself. One moment they were standing there, and the next…."

Slowly, her mind began to comprehend the things that had happened.

"Someone must've hexed the cup."

"That it would make the people who touched it invisible?" he asked, clearly hoping for the best.

"No, that it would be a Portkey." She heard him sigh.

"That's the only explanation, isn't it?"

"That, or Cedric Disapparated them out of there like your brothers said. But as I've told everyone here a million times, you can't Disapparate out of Hogwarts or off its grounds."

Ron remained silent for a moment. Then, he softly said:

"You know, my mum is right. Weird things always happen to Harry. Only usually, we're a part of it, helping him with every move. Standing on the sidelines is harder than I thought it would be."

Hermione nodded. "It's so frustrating that we can't help him in any way."

"No, wait, I didn't mean that! You can't think like that! We have helped him! Without us he never would've mastered all those spells this past year! He wouldn't have gotten past that dragon without the Summoning Charm! And that Four-Point Spell turned out to be pretty useful tonight; I've seen him use it multiple times! It's just that we have to watch –"

"But still," she interrupted. "We weren't useful when he faced that spider, or when he had to answer the sphinx."

"Well, no, but d'you really think he could have Stunned that spider if he hadn't practiced it on me so many times? Besides, he probably used some of your logic to answer the sphinx's riddle."

Ron spoke in a confident voice, and Hermione felt her face glow with pride.

"The only thing we have to figure out now is where he went this time, because I'm not planning to be standing on the sidelines for the whole evening."

"Well, you said it yourself. Things like this always happen to Harry." She could almost feel the wheels turning in her head as things slowly began to come together.

"So?"

"So, why do they always have to happen to him? Because You-Know-Who or one of his followers is usually behind it."

"Do you think…?" Ron looked at her with his mouth agape.

"Well, think about it! This past year has been stranger than usual. Last spring, Wormtail escaped. This fall, Harry's name suddenly appeared in the goblet. Someone obviously wants him dead. We've talked about it with Sirius, haven't we? Even he thinks it's all so odd, so mysterious… I don't know exactly what it is, but after what happened at the World Cup…"

Ron nodded. "You reckon it's Him, then? Even if he doesn't have a body or anything?"

"He's probably got Wormtail back by now."

Ron's face darkened. "Don't remind me of that rat."

"But this all doesn't help us figure out where Harry is now," she said, frustrated. "Or to find out who hexed the cup."

Ron shook his head and looked at her.

"You seem better. Shocked, but better. Shall we go back? Mum'll be having kittens once she realises we've gone."

Hermione smiled back. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just panicked."

"More like collapsed. Though I can't imagine what it must be like for you to not know what's going on for once," he joked. He helped her to stand up, and suddenly they were standing awfully close to each other. As Hermione stared into his eyes, and noticed for the first time how blue they were, she felt the last of the heavy feeling in her stomach disappear and a new feeling take its place, a unstable one in the back of her knees. She was still worried, but not panicked: her mind was in order again.

"And you?" she asked, addressing the question to his eyes.

"What?" He sounded a bit hoarse.

"What about you? Are you okay?"

His grin disappeared, and he spoke quietly. "I'm hanging in there. There's not much we can do now, is there?"

"I'm afraid not."

He averted his eyes, and though they were still standing very close together, Hermione could barely hear him when he said, "I just wish I _could_ do something. I wish I had believed him from the beginning, like you did."

"But you believe him now… and he knows that you're sorry."

"Yeah… guess you're right. Let's go back."

He put his arm around her shoulders and they walked around the building, back to the Quidditch pitch.

Things seemed to be a bit more orderly, but it still looked pretty grim. The hedges were now as high as Hermione's shoulder (corresponding to halfway up Ron's chest), as Dumbledore and Madame Maxime were both putting a spell on them to reduce their height. Other teachers, Hagrid among them, were trying to get the various creatures into cages that McGonagall was conjuring. Meanwhile, Percy was trying his best to keep the hordes of students away from a hastily set-up tent; Hermione guessed Viktor and Fleur were inside. All over the stands, people were walking around and standing up on their seats, but everything was a bit less chaotic than before. Worry had replaced their panic, just as it had with Hermione. As she and Ron reached their seats again, Minister Fudge's voice, amplified to many times its normal volume, filled the stadium.

"Ladies and gentlemen! As you may have seen, there has obviously been a mistake tonight-" Hermione snorted with disbelief at the minister's knack for understatement, "-but we will get to the bottom of this as soon as possible. I would like to advise everyone to stay calm and remain in their seats as we try to rectify the matter."

Hermione saw that Dumbledore was walking away from Fudge in a determined way. She had a feeling he wasn't agreeing with something the Minister had said.

"Ronald Weasley! Where have you been?" screeched a familiar voice from behind them. Hermione winced at the volume of Mrs. Weasley's voice, and turned to face the older woman.

"We were just trying to avoid the crowd, Mum!"

"Do you think it's funny to frighten me out of my wits?"

"No, but…."

While Ron tried to explain himself, Hermione looked around. The teachers seemed to be having trouble putting the creatures into the cages. Bill stood up.

"They look like they're having a hard time down there. I don't care what Fudge says, I'm going to see if they can use my help," he announced, but his mother didn't listen; she was far too busy giving Ron a deathly glare.

After Bill left, it took her a few moments to realise that Ginny was sitting next to her. Somehow, she looked smaller. Hermione didn't think she had seen the other girl look so frightened since her disastrous first year at Hogwarts.

Putting an arm around her, she whispered, "Hey, are you all right?"

Ginny shook her head. "I asked Luna Lovegood if she knew a creature that would make people disappear like that. But even she didn't know any."

Hermione didn't understand a word of what Ginny was mumbling about, but she just held her, hoping that it would calm the youngest Weasley in some way.

At her left, Mrs. Weasley finally seemed to have finished screaming at her youngest son.

Pacing seemed to be all Hermione could do. There wasn't much room to pace in their box, but somehow, she managed to do so. Next to her, Ron was sitting silently with his head in his hands. Once in a while he looked at his watch, checking how long it had been since their best friend had disappeared from the centre of the maze. It annoyed Hermione endlessly. Actually, everything about Ron was annoying her at the moment. Why couldn't they do something? Anything? Everyone around her was hazarding the wildest guesses she'd ever heard, but the most reasonable answer to the question how Harry and Cedric had disappeared was still the same: a Portkey. Ron sighed as he glanced at his watch again. Hermione felt a wave of anger flowing over her, but she knew that she was being unreasonable: Ron was feeling just as horrible as she was, and how could she scream at him now, less than an hour after he had calmed her down?

The creatures were all finally in their cages, and she saw Bill helping the teachers float them to the Forbidden Forest and Hagrid's hut.

For a moment, she stood still, her eyes following a dog that was running around aimlessly on the field, howling sadly and sniffing at the pitch, as if searching for some trace of Harry.

There was nothing left of the maze now; Professor Dumbledore and Madame Maxime had finished their spell nearly twenty minutes ago, and they were now quietly talking at the edge of the field, along with McGonagall, Snape and Moody.

Yet another sigh from Ron made her snap out of her observations and she turned around.

"Will you stop that?" she blurted out.

"Only if you stop pacing!" came his angry retort.

"I'm trying to think!"

"Well, can you please try thinking without walking around?"

Before she could reply, Fred interrupted.

"Would you two quit it already? We get enough of this every other day of the week, feel like giving us a break? Honestly, I don't know how Harry manages to live with it."

A bit ashamed, Hermione bowed her head, and sat down. She chanced a sidelong glance at Ron; he was clearly still irritated with her.

Just when she was about to ask how long it had been since Harry's disappearance, Professor McGonagall marched towards them. To her surprise, her Head of House stopped at their box.

"Miss Granger, would you be so kind as to follow me, please? Mr. Krum is asking for you."

Hermione felt that she was becoming a bit red. She could almost feel the heat of Ron's rage radiating out from his slumped form, and it was then that an idea came to her.

"May Ron come as well, Professor?"

At this request, both Professor McGonagall and Ron raised their eyebrows.

"Fine. Follow me please," the professor said to them and they stood up, Ron still looking slightly confused.

McGonagall led them to the tent Hermione had seen before: it was square and Percy was still standing in front of it, looking pompous as always.

"Now, I must warn you. Madame Pomfrey and Professor Snape have just been to him and come to the conclusion that Mr. Krum was most likely under the effects of the Imperius Curse. The curse is no longer in effect and he is fine, though he is still a bit shocked and unsure of what happened. His parents have already been to see him, to calm him down a bit, but he also asked for you." She frowned a bit. "I would appreciate it if you would report to me anything he says that might give us a clue as to who cursed him. If you will excuse me now, I must find his headmaster," she said. She pointed them to the entrance of the tent, which was impossible to miss with Percy standing in front of it, and hurried off.

"Why do you want me with you?" Ron said. "Afraid he might curse you too?"

Ignoring his comment, she walked up to Percy, who let them in, though he looked as though he'd rather not.

The tent was dark and it smelled a bit odd, as the smell of grass mingled with that of some foul potion. The space was divided in two different chambers. On her left, Hermione could see Fleur, drinking from a steaming mug and speaking rapidly in French with her family. Across the tent, Viktor was sitting alone at a table, staring back at her.

"Hermy-own-ninny!"

She smiled at him. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, but I don't know much about vot happened."

"Well, they think you've been cursed."

"Vy –"

"They don't know. What's the last thing you can remember?"

Viktor glanced quickly at Ron, who was still standing by the opening of the tent, his eyes fixed on them.

"I… I said goodbye to my parents. And then… Ve valked to the maze, didn't ve?"

Hermione nodded. Viktor was clearly annoyed by the fact that Ron was staring at them, but she didn't mind in the slightest; the more Ron heard about Viktor being cursed, the more he might actually believe her. She didn't mind that he was cutting in on her time alone with Viktor; at this moment, Viktor getting his memory back, and Ron believing her was more important than that.

"Yes, you and the other champions. Do you remember what happened next?"

"Everyone started coming in, and I remember… I…" He frowned.

"Did you remember seeing Harry and Cedric enter the maze?" Ron said suddenly. Hermione looked at him, but he avoided her gaze, and looked fixedly at a hole in the canvas, two feet away from Viktor.

"Yes…I think I do..."

"And after that?" Hermione urged. "Do you remember entering yourself?"

"I…" He grabbed his forehead. "I do not know anymore. Hermy-own-ninny, could ve talk about something else?"

She tried to avoid the gaze she knew he was directing at her. She knew that she was irritating Viktor by questioning him, and by bringing Ron with her, but at the same time, she was annoyed too. Did he really think that she act like his girlfriend when another friend was still in danger?

_Another_ friend…. Because that was how she felt about Victor: to her he was a friend, nothing more. She realised that going to see him over the summer would be awkward, since Viktor obviously felt more for her than she felt for him. She looked him in the eye, and although she saw his pleading look to send Ron away so they could be alone, she did the opposite.

"I'm sorry, but McGonagall said that I only could stay with you for a very short time. I have to go: Harry's still missing." She freed her hands, pecked him on the cheek and turned around.

Silently, they had agreed not to go back to their seats with the rest of Ron's family, but to sit on a deserted bit of grass near all the action. Their shoulders were touching, and she could feel their hearts beating in unison as they sat there. The sky had long since gone dark, and torches were being lit all over the Quidditch pitch, illuminating it almost as well as daylight.

Madame Pomfrey was walking in and out of the tent, apparently caring for Viktor and Fleur. Ministry officials were sweeping the pitch with some odd form of Dark Detector, while others were explaining to the spectators that they couldn't leave yet. Dumbledore seemed to be everywhere, and at one point Hermione heard him arguing with Fudge about keeping the spectators there. Bill and Hagrid had returned, and now seemed to be engaged in a conversation. A few moments later, Filch was being bandaged by Pomfrey, mumbling about Skrewts. Even people in the stages were all keeping themselves busy. The mother of Cedric sat in the tribune, crying. Cho was panicking to her friends. Mrs. Weasley was talking to professor Vector. Fred and George were duelling with their own fake wands, but didn't seem to have a lot of fun. Ginny was speaking to a skinny girl with blond hair, who looked rather odd.

Everybody seemed to be doing something. They all looked like they knew exactly what to do. If anyone other than Harry was involved, she was sure she would as well. But now, all she could do was sit there on the grass and stare blankly at everything going on around her.

She didn't feel that the grass was becoming wet and cold, or that Professor Sprout stepped on her toe when she rushed into the tent. She didn't hear a word of Percy's conversation with Professor Flitwick. All she felt was the warmth of Ron's shoulder against hers, and the cold fear that was slowly strangling her heart.

And then, after what seemed an eternity, something happened. There was an almost sickening pop. She heard a soft _thud_, and the noise level on the pitch seemed to increase again. Ron stirred beside her.

"Hermione," he softly whispered into her ear, "I think Harry's back."

Hermione started to cry.

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Second chapter everyone!

I really think Hermione would be so unreasonable to snap at Ron at such a time. I also think that it's very Hermione-like to panic and remain in shock after something happens... Devil Snare, anyone???

Anyway, in the next chapter, Hermione's still panicking, but less than in this one.

Huge thanks to my beta Lisa! and leave a review; I would like to hear your opinions about my fic.

x-mokimik-x


	3. Chaos around the Castle

_Hogwarts grounds, Quidditch pitch, 24th of June, night._

They got up to see what was happening, but weren't the only ones running towards the centre of the field. The Ministry officials who had been standing by the stands were now trying to form a circle around something in the middle of the field, succeeding only in forming a target for everyone to run to.

"What's happening?" she asked Ron, who was trying to look over the mass to see if it really was Harry.

Even as tall as Ron was, he was having a hard time seeing over the crowd as more and more people tried to push forward.

"I can't see. It looks like Harry… hey, watch out, will you? – Wait, Hermione, it's Harry! Dumbledore is bending over him… I can't tell what's going on, though, looks like he might be unconscious…."

"Unconscious or dead?" she asked softly, hoping Ron would understand that she actually didn't want to know the answer.

He turned back toward her, and with a glare said softly, "Don't say that… Just… just don't."

She had never seen him so frightened, but he had already turned around again, still trying to see what was going on. But that seemed impossible. The more they tried to reach the middle, the more they were pushed to the edge of the pitch. Ron let out a howl of frustration.

"What's happening? Oi, you! Let us through, we're friends of his!"

"Which one?" answered a boy in a Beauxbatons uniform. "Ze one 'oo eez alive or ze one 'oo eezn't?"

Hermione felt as if the ground beneath her feet had suddenly disappeared. Her ears were filled by a buzzing noise. _Oh no… don't let Harry be dead… please don't let Harry be dead…_

Ron looked close to punching the boy, but Hermione pulled him away. "Ron, we need to find out which one's Harry!" she shouted, her voice strangled with panic. Ron was very pale under the light of the torches, but nodded. They fought their way to the left, hoping to find a way through. That proved to be useless as well.

"Excuse me," Hermione asked, tapping a girl wearing Hogwarts robes on the shoulder. The girl turned, and she recognized Angelina Johnson. "Angelina, can you see anything?"

Tears were streaming down Angelina's face.

"Oh, Hermione!" Before Hermione knew it, she had a sobbing Angelina in her arms, and she felt her own tears starting to well up again. "He's dead!"

"Who? Which one?" Ron roared. He looked like he was about to go mad out of frustration, while all Hermione could feel was pain and tears. Of course it was Harry who was dead – Cedric was more skilled and not as foolishly brave as Harry was….

Angelina didn't answer Ron's question. However, the murmurs and the cries of pain and loss around them did.

"I can't believe it!"

"How could he die?"

"What happened?"

"Where were they?"

"Is Cedric dead?"

"Cedric's dead!"

"Where are his parents?"

Staring in shock at each other (though Angelina was still in between them, holding onto Hermione like her life depended on it), it suddenly got through to them.

"It's Cedric," Ron whispered.

"Will everybody please return to the castle!"

"Everybody to the castle! Now!"

The cry was taken up by Ministry officials across the pitch as they tried to direct everyone back to the castle.

"Ron, what's happening?" she asked, but Ron didn't seem to hear her. The mass that had wanted to rush forward a minute ago was suddenly retreating. Hermione caught a glimpse of the centre of the field, but to her astonishment, there was now only one body, lying under a white sheet. Flitwick was levitating the Triwizard Cup nearby, and two people, too stunned with grief, were kneeling next to it. But where was Harry?

"Ron! Harry's disappeared again!" she shouted, panicking. Her heart felt like it was about to pound straight out of her chest. She looked next to her, but Ron wasn't there.

"Ron!"

Somewhere to her left there was a muffled reply, but when she looked, she didn't see him.

She sank down on her knees, closing her eyes and ears. It was all a nightmare. Any moment she could wake up, with her blankets wrapped tightly around her. Any moment she would hear Lavender snore, and realise that Cedric wasn't dead. That Harry wasn't lost again. That Harry had never been lost in the first place. That she hadn't lost Ron. Any moment now….

Suddenly, she felt something warm on her face. She opened her eyes, and stared into the face of a dog.

"Sirius," she whispered. She didn't know if normal dogs could actually do such thing, but this one had tearstains next to his nose, and was whining horribly. Hermione calmed almost instantly; this was someone she knew. Someone who would take care of things, take care of her. It nudged her cheek again, and motioned his head, as if asking her to follow him. Hermione stood up unsteadily. The crowd had thinned out, but she hardly noticed, keeping her eyes on the dog. He kept walking across the field and behind the stands, and for a moment, Hermione thought he was trying to enter the Forbidden Forest until she realised that they were walking to Hagrid's hut.

"Hermione!" Before she had opened the door completely, Mrs. Weasley had already engulfed her in a hug, and was nearly suffocating her. When she finally let go, Hermione looked around. It looked like everyone with red hair had gathered here. While said owner was rummaging in his kitchen, making tea. Everyone but….

"Where's Ron?"

"Don't know. He was with you." Ginny said from one of the huge chairs. Fred, who was sitting next to her, had just tried one of Hagrid's homemade cookies, and Hermione thought she heard something crack in his mouth. She was fairly sure it wasn't the cookie.

"I lost him in the crowd, it was all so confusing." She sat down, her head feeling heavier by the minute from worries.

"Well, nothin' new there," Hagrid said, turning around. "Here yeh go." He handed her a steaming mug. "Let's just wait, shall we?"

Between the hug and the added distraction of all the Weasleys, Hermione hadn't paid attention to Sirius. When she turned around, he was no longer behind her.

"Where did the dog go?" Most of the people in the room shrugged. They probably hadn't seen the dog in all the chaos.

"Yeh had a dog with yeh? Darn! I lost 'im again! Dumbledore said I was supposed to look after it. Said it was the dog of an old friend. Great man, Dumbledore," he added unnecessary.

Silence fell. Everyone seemed to be doing something to avoid talking about what had happened. Mrs. Weasley was cleaning invisible spots on the table with her thumb. Fred was rubbing his cheek, as if that would lessen the pain in his mouth. Ginny was staring blankly into her mug, while Bill put a fresh bandage over a burn he had received from the skrewts. George followed the grain of the wooden tabletop with his finger. Hermione wanted to ask what they knew, but wasn't sure if the right words would come out of her mouth if she opened it. So many thoughts were swirling through her head. Where's was Ron? Where's Harry? Why had Sirius left immediately after bringing her here? What would happen with Cedric's body? Why did they suddenly had to leave the field so quickly after they were forbidden to do so only minutes before? But most of all: _What had happened with Harry?_

She was about to sip from her steaming mug, when a bark was heard from the outside.

"Oi! There's that dog again!" Hagrid opened the door.

Ron stood just outside the door, followed closely by the dog.

Hermione felt as though a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Hurriedly, she placed her mug on the table and hurtled toward the door, catching Ron in a tight hug.

"Well, Mum, no need for you to get up anymore," Fred said behind her back.

"Where were you?" she asked, then smiled as she heard Ron ask her the same thing. He grinned back, but then became serious again.

"Where's Harry? Why are we in here?"

"Professor Flitwick said that it would be better if we stayed here. Dumbledore might need our help later, but it seems dangerous to be on the pitch now," Fred said.

"Why?"

"Ron, use your head. Harry just came back with Cedric's dead body. He probably didn't come from a tea-party with an old witch. Who can assure that whatever attacked Harry and Cedric might not also appear out of thin air?" Bill said.

Ron's arrival had started the conversation they had all been waiting for. Ron glanced at her, as if to admit You-Know-Who must have had something to do with it.

"At first we thought it was part of the task," Fred said. "At least until the teachers started to panic."

"Where did Harry disappear to just now?"

"I saw Moody taking him to the castle. He's probably in his office, or Dumbledore's, or maybe in the Hospital Wing," George said.

"Let's go, then." Ron's hand was still on her back, and now he guided her towards the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Mrs. Weasley boomed.

"To see Harry, of course."

"No you're not! The school's obviously in danger! The grounds aren't safe, you heard your brother!"

"But Mum! He might need us!"

"There are other people with him! What he needs is for you to be safe, and stay here like Professor Flitwick told us to. He said Dumbledore or another teacher would contact us, so we will wait." When Ron opened his mouth to protest, she added sharply, "Now sit down, and have some tea."

Ron closed his mouth, but remained standing in the same spot. Hermione understood his feeling perfectly. It had been frustrating to say the least to not know where Harry was or how much danger he was in. But now it was equally frustrating to know where he was, but not be able to go to him. It felt as if she was watching him from the stands, struggling in the maze again.

Hermione looked at Sirius, who was still whining. He probably felt the same way.

There was a sharp knock on the door then, and Hagrid opened it.

"Good evening Hagrid, have you perhaps seen a dog? He was supposed to be in…" But McGonagall trailed off when she saw that Hagrid wasn't the only person she was speaking to.

Hermione looked at the Head of Gryffindor. McGonagall had certainly been under stress the last time she'd seen her, but that was nothing compared to the state the professor was in now. She was breathing very quickly, as if she had run from the castle, and pieces of her hair had escaped from her bun and were flying about her face. Her eyes were wide open, suggesting that even she was shocked by the day's events, and her voice trembled slightly, as Hermione had never known it to do.

"A dog? Yes, I got 'im 'ere," Hagrid said and pointed at the dog.

"Dumbledore needs him," she explained shortly.

Sirius immediately stood up and walked towards her. They were about to leave when Hermione finally managed to speak.

"Is Harry all right?"

McGonagall looked at her, as if trying to decide how to answer.

"He's… he's in shock, but he seems to be all right. A bit of rest and some anti-infection potion is all he needs." She had turned back to the door again before Mrs. Weasley spoke.

"Can we see him?"

McGonagall shook her head. "Potter first has to understand what has happened this night. Some things… need to be sorted out." She looked very white and it sounded as if she wasn't agreeing with this measurement.

"Then can we wait for him in the Hospital Wing?" Ron asked.

McGonagall seemed to turn even paler and her lips got so thin that Hermione couldn't see them anymore. However, after Ron kept staring at her, she nodded.

"Hagrid, could you escort them please? And could you then go to Madame Maxime? She is looking for Karkaroff and Ludo Bagman with some Ministry officials."

Hagrid nodded, and took his crossbow, while McGonagall and the dog sped off into the dark.

After Hagrid dropped the rest of their group off – nothing had happened on the school grounds, and except for the huge amount of wizards running around, it seemed like a normal night – Pomfrey opened the Hospital Wing, but immediately started to complain at the number of people at the door.

"I'm sorry, but this is a Hospital Wing! It must be quiet in here, and each patient is allowed only five visitors at a time.

"But Harry hasn't arrived yet," Bill said.

Pomfrey seemed a bit taken aback by this statement, but it did not look like she was planning to change her mind, though. Fred and George interrupted.

"It's all right. We'll go back to Gryffindor Tower. I want to hear exactly what happened on the field after we left," Fred said, and George nodded.

"'Night mum. We'll see you at the end of term. Bye Bill." They both hugged their mother. George punched Bill playfully on the shoulder, and turned around to leave.

"Well, all right then," Pomfrey said. She opened the door completely, and they took their places in the seats next to an empty bed. Ginny yawned, attracting the attention of Mrs Weasley.

"Ginny, you should go back to the Tower as well! It's far too late for you to be up!"

"I'm not tired!" she whined, but her argument was weakened as she yawned again.

"Come on, you," Bill said, with a softness in his voice that Hermione had never heard before. "Let's just get you to your dorm." He stood up, took her hand, and almost without sputtering, Ginny followed him out of the room.

"And then there were three," Ron whispered next to her. Hermione felt tired. She had barely slept last night, because there had been normal things to fuss about, like exams. They had helped Harry every afternoon and sometimes evenings as well, meaning that studying had to be done late at night. She leaned her head on Ron's shoulder; it suddenly felt very heavy.

It had been such an intense day. Right during breakfast, she had finally got the idea how Rita Skeeter managed to hear about all those private conversations and had ran of towards the library to confirm it. Then there was the exam in History of Magic, in which she was sure she had incorrectly answered question 13, part b. She was still mad at herself for doing so; the question had been far too simple to make an error….Then of course the practical exam of Care of Magical Creatures had begun that afternoon, although she wasn't sure how Hagrid would grade it; after all, could students be graded on the way they cut their fruit and vegetables for the skrewts?

But then the madness had started…Hermione felt her head becoming heavier by the second. She inhaled deeply. Ron's T-shirt smelled nice. Something like grass and parchment and… what was that other smell? Something indescribably Ron. The last thing she felt was Ron's head barely touching hers.

She didn't know how long she had slept. When she opened her eyes, she realised that the whole Wing was empty, and that the sound of the door closing had woken her up. Ron's head wasn't on top of hers anymore. Instead, his hand was softly stroking her hair. She liked it and wished he would continue, but as soon as the boy next to her noticed that she was awake, he stopped.

"Where is everyone?"

"Bill came back from bringing Ginny to her dorm, but then Snape came in and asked if Pomfrey could help with Professor Moody. Apparently he's been sick. My mum and Bill went with them. They just left."

Hermione said nothing. She still felt tired, but also a bit guilty: how could she have been sleeping when there were so many unanswered questions still swirling in her head? When they still hadn't seen Harry?

"Hermione?"

"Hmm?"

"You were right about Victor. I'm so —" But she never heard the rest of the sentence, since Pomfrey, Mrs. Weasley and Bill came back at that point, levitating a man between them.

"Gently place him on the bed, please," Pomfrey said. Hermione got a look at the man's face and saw that it was Professor Moody, but he didn't look like the man who had been standing by the maze this evening. This Moody was unconscious, had great chunks of hair missing and seemed to be weakened, paler and thinner.

"What's happened?" Ron asked Bill, who sat down again. Mrs. Weasley and Madame Pomfrey were now putting the man under the blankets, and pulled some curtains around the bed.

"I don't know exactly. Snape brought us to Mad-Eye's office. McGonagall was guarding some bloke I've never seen before, and Mad-Eye was lying on the floor – Madame Pomfrey said it looked like Imperius – and there was some potion you won't have heard of, allows a person to take the appearance of someone else."

Hermione didn't think it wise to mention their previous experiences with Polyjuice Potion; if Bill thought they were innocent young students, she wasn't going to do anything to change that perspective.

"Did they say who the other bloke was?"

"Crouch, I think. I only remembered because of all the times Percy's mentioned the name… Crouch junior, though, not Percy's boss."

Hermione didn't have to look at Ron to know that he was thinking the same thing. How could it be? Mr. Crouch's son was supposed to be in Azkaban!

"I don't understand any of it!" Ron said.

"Did you see Harry?" Hermione asked Mrs. Weasley, who was walking back to her chair from where Madame Pomfrey was trying to force-feed the weakened Moody some potion. She shook her head.

"What's taking him so long?" Ron murmured.

Pomfrey excused herself. She had to look on Viktor and Fleur, who were lying in their beds at the ship and the carriage. She left the room.

Minutes flew by. Hermione wondered what time it actually was, but she didn't bother looking at her watch. Looking at the time would only make the waiting seem longer.

When Pomfrey came back, Mrs. Weasley stood up, and so did Bill and Ron.

"Have you seen Harry yet?" Ron asked hopefully.

"Did he go straight to his dorm?" said Bill.

Pomfrey shook her head.

"No, I don't know where he —"

But at that moment, the door opened, and a familiar, but exhausted looking face appeared.

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Here you go, updated as promised!

Thanks to LEAD, who edited the story even though she's very buisy!

I still don't own the plotline, the characters, and in this story, even most of the events aren't mine...

What I do own, is the next chapter... I have it here in my possesion on my laptop, and for you to get it, is actually pretty simple: Leave a review about this one...:P:P

x-mokimik-x


	4. Waiting in the Hospital Wing

_Hogwarts castle, Hospital wing, 24th of June, near midnight._

"Harry! Oh Harry!"

Harry entered slowly, accompanied by Dumbledore and the huge black dog.

Mrs. Weasley seemed ready to crush Harry in one of her famous hugs, but Dumbledore moved between them.

"Molly," he said, holding up a hand, "please listen to me for a moment. Harry has been through a terrible ordeal tonight. He has just had to relive it for me. What he needs now is sleep, and peace, and quiet. If he would like you all to stay with him,-" Dumbledore continued, staring intently at Ron, Bill and Hermione herself, "-you may do so. But I do not want you questioning him until he is ready to answer, and certainly not this evening."

Mrs. Weasley nodded. She turned around and glared at them, hissing, "Did you hear? He needs quiet!"

Hermione was too relieved to be offended by the fact that Mrs. Weasley was being unreasonable. Madame Pomfrey had nodded throughout Dumbledore's little speech, but now her eyes had fallen on the black dog. She could barely hide her disgust.

"Headmaster," she started, staring at Snuffles, "may I ask what —?"

"This dog will be remaining with Harry for a while," said Dumbledore simply. "I assure you, he is extremely well trained. Harry – I will wait while you get into bed."

Hermione stared at her friend. Other then the small wounds on his hand and arms, he seemed fine. He walked normally, although Hermione had been sure his foot had been broken by that spider, but that could probably be counted as one of the few good things she had not been expecting.

He looked broken, as if he had lost all his power. His eyes were moving the whole time, as if he expected something or someone to jump out at him and needed to be alert at all times.

"I will be back to see you as soon as I have met with Fudge, Harry," said Dumbledore. "I would like you to remain here tomorrow until I have spoken to the school." He looked at Hermione and Ron intently, and then left the room. As Madam Pomfrey led Harry to a nearby bed, Professor Moody caught his attention.

"Is he okay?" Harry asked.

"He'll be fine," said Madam Pomfrey, giving Harry some pyjamas and pulling screens around him.

Ron stood next to her, fear in his eyes. "Moody's okay, but what happened to Harry?" he said quietly. When Madame Pomfrey pushed back the screens and retreated to her office, they all grabbed their chairs and sat around his bed. Hermione felt weird. She had been wanting to see and talk to Harry for the whole evening, but it seemed like the boy lying there in the bed looking so pale and vulnerable was not the same Harry she had seen earlier that day. How was she supposed to act? What had happened to him? He noticed her worried gaze and tried to smile at her.

"I'm all right," he told her, looking both at her and at Ron. "Just tired."

Mrs. Weasley's eyes filled with tears as she smoothed his bedcovers unnecessarily. Bill was looking at the other way, stroking Snuffles' head. Hermione wondered distractedly if Sirius appreciated being petted.

Madam Pomfrey returned then, holding a small bottle of some purple potion and a goblet.

"You'll need to drink all of this, Harry," she said. "It's a potion for dreamless sleep."

Harry took the goblet and drank a few mouthfuls. His eyes started to close immediately and he slumped back on the bed. The cup, still half full of the purple potion, hovered in mid-air rather than falling, Madame Pomfrey having apparently anticipated that Harry would drop it. Hermione looked at her friend in the bed, who, asleep, suddenly looked normal again.

For a moment, they sat there, none of them knowing what to do. Madame Pomfrey placed the goblet on Harry's night table.

"He might wake up, and then he has to take the rest of his potion," she explained. Mrs. Weasley and Bill nodded.

Hermione pushed her chair a bit away from the bed.

"I have to go to the bathroom," she said. She looked at Ron, who – thank goodness – understood her immediately.

"I'll walk with you," he said.

They hadn't even entered the nearest classroom before she heard him spat the same things she'd been thinking.

"This isn't fair at all! We wait, what, four hours? And now no one is going to tell us what happened? I mean, sure, Harry's in no state to tell us, I hadn't expected anything else! But why can't Dumbledore, or McGonagall, or anyone tell us something? It's not like we're morons – we won't tell anyone if it has to be a secret! Does Dumbledore honestly think that he can say something to the school tomorrow morning that will satisfy us? That will tell us all the details? I want to know what Harry's been through! Why can't he tell us now?"

"Because he obviously likes to annoy you two," said a voice at the door.

Hermione whipped around, drawing her wand, ready to hex anyone who dared to enter such their private rant. Ron did the same.

"Hey, woah, calm down! It's just me."

That was a rather ironic answer. The 'me' standing in the doorway would have caused a lot of people to think they actually had a good reason to keep their wands drawn, but Hermione and Ron both put theirs back in their pockets. Sirius was leaning against the door, looking at both of them.

"I would have thought you would be more concerned for your friend than this," he said slowly. "Harry's been through a lot this evening, and instead of sitting next to his bed, you two are yelling about how no one ever tells you anything."

"That's easy for you to say! Harry or Dumbledore probably told you everything," Ron said, looking very offended. "Besides, it's not like you're sitting at his bedside either."

"We are worried about Harry," Hermione interrupted. "But if we don't know what's happened to him, how will we know how worried to be?"

Sirius looked steadily at them, then finally he nodded sharply.

"Okay, fair enough, you're right. I can't tell you everything, but I can tell you this: Harry saw Voldemort tonight."

Ron shuddered. Hermione didn't know what to say. _Why? How? That's impossible!_

"That's not enough to know." Ron said stubbornly.

"It is for now. It has to be."

"Look, I know we're just teenagers. Believe me, I know that. At this point, we should be used to sitting on the sidelines watching our best friend put himself in harm's way again. But that's not the way it works! We're used to helping him, sharing our thoughts with him, and being there for him. That's what friends do! They stick with each other. Right now, my best friend is lying there, after surviving probably one of the most horrible nights of his life. And I don't know how to help him. If no one tells us what has been happening, you are forcing us to do what we have been doing all evening: standing at the sidelines and not liking what we see." Ron was breathing hard when he finished his tirade. Sirius looked taken aback and Hermione thought that there was no better way to express how she had been feeling.

"Okay. Fine. But just- just promise me you won't do anything stupid, like trying to talk to Harry about it before he's ready." They both nodded.

The three of them walked over to the empty desks and sat down.

"Voldemort came back tonight. Harry and Cedric were transported to the graveyard where Voldemort's father is buried, and Wormtail," Sirius paused for a moment, and closed his eyes before continuing, "killed Cedric." The lines in his face seemed to deepen. "With an old spell, using Harry's blood, his father's bone and Wormtail's flesh, Voldemort regained his body."

Hermione was shocked speechless. She had expected it to be a horrible event Harry had experienced, but this….Sirius continued, trying to sound as unemotional as possible.

"After that, Voldemort called his Death Eaters to him. Not all; there seemed to be a few who were too afraid of returning to their old allies whom they had betrayed, and some were obviously still in Azkaban, but nevertheless a lot of them came. Apparently he explained to them, and to Harry, what happened that night thirteen years ago and how Harry nearly vanquished him. Then he forced Harry to duel him."

Hermione clasped her hands before her mouth. She was trying to comprehend all this, but it felt so surreal…. Ron didn't seem to be faring any better. His face was screwed up in pain at hearing what his friend had been through.

"However, Harry and Voldemort's wand have the same core: a feather from the tail of Dumbledore's phoenix. And wands with the same core that are forced to duel against each other can do weird things. It's a bit difficult for me to explain, since I myself don't understand all of it, but the phenomenon is called Priori Incantatem, or the Reverse Spell effect. As soon as they shot spells at each other, the wands connected, through a cord of light, with drops on them. The details aren't particularly important, but Harry effectively forced Voldemort's wand to regurgitate the last spells it performed."

This bit of information rang a bell deep in Hermione's mind.

"Like what Mr. Diggory did with Harry's wand during the world cup!"

Sirius nodded impatiently.

"So a form of Cedric appeared, then an old man and…," he took a deep breath, "Lily and James."

"Harry saw his parents?" Ron asked, looking paler by the second.

Sirius nodded, looking shocked himself. "They told Harry to… break the connection and try to reach the cup, which was lying between the graves. Cedric asked Harry to bring his body back. I…," his voice broke off with a croak, and Hermione noticed that her own sight was obscured by the tears in her eyes. "I… can't say that I ever felt so proud of Harry. He managed to succeed. Broke the connection, ran with an injured foot through a maze of Death Eaters, got a hold of Cedric's body, and summoned the Cup."

Ron sniffed and was furiously rubbing his eyes.

"And the cup brought them back here?" Sirius nodded in response. "But… why… how… how could the cup be a Portkey in the first place?"

Sirius ruffled his hair wearily. "It's a long, long story. Dumbledore filled me in – has to do with Barty Crouch's son. Everyone thought he died in Azkaban, but apparently I wasn't the first one to escape. He was a Death Eater – rejoined Voldemort about a year ago. He's been impersonating Mad-Eye all year, trying to help Harry get through the tournament, intending to lead him straight to Voldemort."

"So that explains the Polyjuce Potion Bill mentioned!" Hermione gasped and in her mind's eye, she saw the image of the weakened Mad-eye, lying in the Hospital Wing.

"What do you know about Polyjuice Potion?" Sirius asked suspiciously. "You're only in fourth year; you won't have learned it yet."

They heard footsteps and voices in the corridor then, saving Hermione from having to explain about brewing a dangerous potion in one of the school's toilets.

"Let's get back – your mum will be wondering why you are taking so long in the bathroom," he said quite suddenly, and morphed back into the shaggy black dog. Ron nodded and opened the door for them. Hermione and the dog quickly followed him back to the Hospital Wing.

"Where have you two been?" Mrs. Weasley hissed as they closed the door.

"We…we ran into...I..." words were failing Ron.

"I wanted to make sure that Ron had taken my schoolbag to the Gryffindor common room as I asked him earlier, so we went back up to the tower," Hermione lied quickly. Mrs. Weasley still looked doubtful.

"He told me he had, but I wanted to double-check. It was there, though, and since we'd come all that way I thought I'd best take it up to my room, but one of my roommates was still awake… it took me forever to get away, what with all the questions she was asking."

Bill grinned behind Mrs. Weasley's back. Hermione could tell he didn't believe a word of what she was saying, but said nothing.

"And the dog?" Ron's mum suddenly asked.

"It just followed us," Ron said quickly. "Has anything happened to Harry?" Distracted, Mrs. Weasley gave the questions a rest, and turned back toward the bed, sighing and shaking her head. Harry's glasses were lying on the bedside table and he was still asleep. Hermione sat down on her chair again, also sighing. She threw a glance at Ron, who also sat down and looked just as lost for things to say as she felt at the moment. All they could do now was wait.

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Yep, that's the 4th chapter people! Next one will be the last of this serie... :(

Thanks for all your reviews! you guys are great! Just as great as my bèta Lisa...

Who edited this because I'm not perfect (or JK Rowling for that matter):P

Anyway, I look forward to your reviews! Next chapter will probably be updated Friday... or maybe even Saturday...

x-mokimik-x


	5. calm before the storm

_Hogwarts Castle, Hospital Wing, 25th of June, after midnight_

Hermione had been wrong to assume that all there was to do was wait. She had barely even glanced at Harry, when there was a loud noise somewhere in the castle. Since Hermione and Ron had started to talk in whispers the moment they had re-entered the room, this was even more noticeable.

"What's happening in the corridor?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

The voices seemed to grew louder and louder as their owners drew closer to the Hospital Wing.

"Did you see anyone when you came back?"

"They'll wake him if they don't shut up!"

"What are they shouting about? Nothing else can have happened, can it?" Ron asked, looking worried in her direction. _No, it couldn't have_. Not when everyone was still trying to comprehend what had happened a few hours before.

Mrs. Weasley stood up, walking towards the door. "That's Fudge's voice," she whispered. "And that's Minerva McGonagall's, isn't it? But what are they arguing about?"

Hermione focused her eyes on the door as well. The voices were now not only recognizable, but clearly understandable.

"Regrettable, but all the same, Minerva —" Minister Fudge was saying loudly.

"You should never have brought it inside the castle!" yelled Professor McGonagall. "When Dumbledore finds out —"

Suddenly, the hospital doors burst open, and Fudge and McGonagall rushed in, accompanied by Professor Snape. Both Fudge and McGonagall seemed very red. As scared and shocked as Hermione had seen McGonagall this evening at Hagrid's, this was nothing compared to how angry she was now. She seemed to have lost control of herself. Fudge came striding up the ward, McGonagall and Snape followed him closely, looking the most sensible of the trio.

"Where's Dumbledore?" Fudge demanded of Mrs. Weasley.

"He's not here," said Mrs. Weasley angrily. "This is a hospital wing, Minister, don't you think you'd do better to —"

But to everyone's surprise, the door opened again, and Dumbledore came sweeping up the ward, as if he had heard that they were looking for him.

"What has happened?" he said sharply, looking from Fudge to Professor McGonagall. "Why are you disturbing these people? Minerva, I'm surprised at you - I asked you to stand guard over Barty Crouch —"

"There is no need to stand guard over him anymore, Dumbledore!" she shrieked. "The Minister has seen to that!" The angry blotches of colour in her cheeks seemed to redden even more and her hands were balled into fists; she was trembling with fury.

"When we told Mr. Fudge that we had caught the Death Eater responsible for tonight's events," said Snape, in a low voice, "he seemed to feel his personal safety was in question. He insisted on summoning a dementor to accompany him into the castle. He brought it up to the office where Barty Crouch —"

"I told him you would not agree, Dumbledore!" McGonagall interrupted. "I told him you would never allow dementors to set foot inside the castle, but —"

"My dear woman!" roared Fudge, interrupting also, "as Minister of Magic, it is my decision whether I wish to bring protection with me when interviewing a possibly dangerous —"

But Professor McGonagall's voice drowned Fudge's out completely.

"The moment that - that thing entered the room," she screamed, pointing at Fudge, shaking terribly, "it swooped down on Crouch and – and —"

Hermione shivered and saw that Ron did the same. They had seen and heard enough about dementors last year to know what had happened to Barty Crouch. He was worse than dead now.

"By all accounts, he is no loss!" Fudge said irritably. "It seems he has been responsible for several deaths."

"But he cannot now give testimony, Cornelius," said Dumbledore. He was staring hard at Fudge. Hermione could not help being quite glad that she was not the one on the receiving end of that stare. "He cannot give evidence about why he killed those people."

"Why he killed them? Well, that's no mystery, is it?" blustered Fudge. "He was a raving lunatic! From what Minerva and Severus have told me, he seems to have thought he was doing it all on You-Know-Who's instructions!"

"Lord Voldemort _was_ giving him instructions, Cornelius," Dumbledore said.

Hermione had heard that name far too many times already. Again, she felt that odd twist of fear in her stomach at the mentioning of it.

"Those people's deaths were mere by-products of a plan to restore Voldemort to full strength again. The plan succeeded. Voldemort has been restored to his body."

Fudge looked as though Dumbledore had physically hit him. Dazed and blinking, he stared back at Dumbledore as if he couldn't quite believe what he had just heard. When he finally managed to speak, it was with great difficulty.

"You-Know-Who…returned? Preposterous. Come now, Dumbledore…"

"As Minerva and Severus have doubtless told you," said Dumbledore, "we heard Barty Crouch confess. Under the influence of Veritaserum, he told us how he was smuggled out of Azkaban, and how Voldemort – learning of his continued existence from Bertha Jorkins –went to free him from his father and used him to capture Harry. The plan worked, I tell you. Crouch has helped Voldemort to return."

She didn't think she had ever heard such a complicated plot. Who would believe it without hearing it straight from the criminal? Dumbledore didn't seem to have convinced Fudge.

"See here, Dumbledore," said Fudge, suddenly smiling, "you - you can't seriously believe that You-Know-Who – back? Come now, come now…certainly, Crouch may have believed himself to be acting upon You-Know-Who's orders – but to take the word of a lunatic like that, Dumbledore…."

"When Harry touched the Triwizard Cup tonight, he was transported straight to Voldemort," said Dumbledore. "He witnessed Lord Voldemort's rebirth. I will explain it all to you if you will step up to my office." Fudge glanced at the bed Harry was lying in, but Dumbledore shook his head. "I am afraid I cannot permit you to question Harry tonight."

Fudge's odd smile didn't budge. He continued to look at Harry, then suddenly looked back at Dumbledore and said, "You are - er - prepared to take Harry's word on this, are you, Dumbledore?"

There was a moment's silence, in which Hermione tried to comprehend what Fudge meant. Was Fudge insinuating that Harry was a liar? McGonagall appeared to be angry beyond words. Snape was standing there with his mouth wide open, looking rather stupid, (_Not, _Ron would say, _that he needs much help there_) and Bill and Mrs. Weasley were frowning at Fudge. Sirius seemed to be the angriest of them all. He growled, his hackles were raised, and he was baring his teeth at Fudge, who looked rather confused at such a passionate response coming from a dog.

"Certainly, I believe Harry," said Dumbledore. His eyes were also blazing. "I heard Crouch's confession, and I heard Harry's account of what happened after he touched the Triwizard Cup; the two stories make sense, they explain everything that has happened since Bertha Jorkins disappeared last summer."

Fudge still had that strange smile on his face. Once again, he glanced at Harry before answering. Hermione wanted to follow his gaze, but was too shocked by what the Minister said next.

"You are prepared to believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, on the word of a lunatic murderer, and a boy who…well…."

Well what? Did he think Harry was crazy? That he had made this all up? That it was too coincidental that things like this happened to Harry all the time?

Fudge shot Harry another look.

"You've been reading Rita Skeeter, Mr. Fudge," said a quiet voice from behind them. Hermione jumped and turned her head. Harry had been awake the whole time! She looked at him, but he ignored her gaze and kept staring at Fudge.

Fudge reddened slightly, but what Harry had said seemed only to stiffen his resolve. "And if I have?" he said, looking at Dumbledore. "If I have discovered that you've been keeping certain facts about the boy very quiet? A Parselmouth, eh? And having funny turns all over the place —"

"I assume that you are referring to the pains Harry has been experiencing in his scar?" said Dumbledore coolly.

"You admit that he has been having these pains, then?" said Fudge quickly. "Headaches? Nightmares? Possibly – hallucinations?" Hermione felt a wave of anger flowing through her. Did Rita know how much damage she had actually done this past year? She had managed to make the minister believe Harry was crazy! How many more people were now convinced of that? She remembered that even Mrs. Weasley had taken the story about her love triangle serious. Were people really that stupid?

"Listen to me, Cornelius," said Dumbledore, taking a step toward Fudge. Hermione could tell that Dumbledore was really angry with the Minister now, but unlike most people, the angrier he was, the calmer he appeared.

"Harry is as sane as you or I. That scar upon his forehead has not addled his brains. I believe it hurts him when Lord Voldemort is close by, or feeling particularly murderous."

But Fudge shook his head. "You'll forgive me, Dumbledore, but I've never heard of a curse scar acting as an alarm bell before…."

"Look, I saw Voldemort come back!" Harry shouted. He wasn't looking as calm and collected as Dumbledore. On the contrary, his face seemed to be just as twisted and red as McGonagall's. He tried to get out of bed, but Mrs. Weasley forced him back. That didn't stop him from talking, though.

"I saw the Death Eaters! I can give you their names! Lucius Malfoy —" Hermione's hand shot to her mouth. So Malfoy's father _was_ a Death Eater! Next to her, Ron shrugged, as if he had expected it all along, which, Hermione realised upon reflection, he probably had.

"Malfoy was cleared!" said Fudge, visibly affronted. "A very old family – donations to excellent causes —"

_Oh, of course_, Hermione thought scathingly.

"Macnair!" Harry continued, growing redder by the second.

"Also cleared! Now working for the Ministry!"

"Avery – Nott – Crabbe – Goyle —"

"You are merely repeating the names of those who were acquitted of being Death Eaters thirteen years ago!" said Fudge angrily. "You could have found those names in old reports of the trials! For heavens sake, Dumbledore – the boy was full of some crackpot story at the end of last year too – his tales are getting taller, and you're still swallowing them – the boy can talk to snakes, Dumbledore, and you still think he's trustworthy?"

"You fool!" Professor McGonagall suddenly cried out. There were tears in her eyes. "Cedric Diggory! Mr. Crouch! These deaths were not the random work of a lunatic!"

"I see no evidence to the contrary!" shouted Fudge, his anger matching hers as his face rapidly turned purple. "It seems to me that you are all determined to start a panic that will destabilize everything we have worked for these last thirteen years!" It seemed to Hermione that Fudge was intent on ignoring everything they said.

"Voldemort has returned," Dumbledore repeated calmly. He and Snape were the only adults in the room who were still acting reasonably, but as Snape was staring open-mouthed at Fudge and not saying anything, the job of convincing Fudge had fallen to Dumbledore.

"If you accept that fact straightaway, Fudge, and take the necessary measures, we may still be able to save the situation," Dumbledore continued. "The first and most essential step is to remove Azkaban from the control of the dementors —"

"Preposterous!" shouted Fudge. "Remove the dementors? I'd be kicked out of office for suggesting it! Half of us only feel safe in our beds at night because we know the dementors are standing guard at Azkaban!"

"The rest of us sleep less soundly in our beds, Cornelius, knowing that you have put Lord Voldemort's most dangerous supporters in the care of creatures who will join him the instant he asks them!" said Dumbledore. "They will not remain loyal to you, Fudge! Voldemort can offer them much more scope for their powers and their pleasures than you can! With the dementors behind him, and his old supporters returned to him, you will be hard-pressed to stop him regaining the sort of power he had thirteen years ago!"

_Fudge __looks rather like a fish_, Hermione thought detachedly, _opening and closing his mouth like that._ Her shock at everything that had happened was quickly making way for an immense amount of anger directed toward the Minister – she had never thought of Fudge as thick-headed before.

"The second step you must take – and at once," Dumbledore continued, "is to send envoys to the giants."

"Envoys to the giants?" Fudge shrieked, finding his tongue again. "What madness is this?"

"Extend them the hand of friendship, now, before it is too late," said Dumbledore, "or Voldemort will persuade them, as he did before, that he alone among wizards will give them their rights and their freedom!" She had actually read about this while doing some extra reading for History of Magic. What Dumbledore was proposing sounded so logical that she couldn't comprehend why Fudge was so against it.

"You - you cannot be serious!" Fudge gasped, shaking his head and retreating further from Dumbledore. "If the magical community got wind that I had approached the giants – people hate them, Dumbledore – end of my career —"

"You are blinded," said Dumbledore, his voice growing louder, his eyes blazing once more, "by the love of the office you hold, Cornelius! You place too much importance, and you always have done, on the so-called purity of blood! You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be! Your dementor has just destroyed the last remaining member of a pure-blood family as old as any - and see what that man chose to make of his life! I tell you now – take the steps I have suggested, and you will be remembered, in office or out, as one of the bravest and greatest Ministers of Magic we have ever known. Fail to act – and history will remember you as the man who stepped aside and allowed Voldemort a second chance to destroy the world we have tried to rebuild!"

Hermione had always had a great deal of respect for Dumbledore; after all, he was the greatest wizard anyone had ever seen! But now, listening to him speak, her respect for him could not do anything but increase. Fudge, however, looked as though he had accidentally wandered into an insane asylum.

"Insane," whispered Fudge, still backing away. "Mad…."

And then there was silence. Madam Pomfrey was standing frozen at the foot of Harry's bed, her hands over her mouth. Mrs. Weasley still had her hand on Harry's shoulder, trying to force him to lie down. Harry seemed to be too angry to speak. Sirius was still growling at the Minister – Hermione didn't blame him. Bill and Ron were staring at Fudge, who was fidgeting with his cloak.

"If your determination to shut your eyes will carry you as far as this, Cornelius," said Dumbledore, "we have reached a parting of the ways. You must act as you see fit. And I - I shall act as I see fit."

Fudge seemed highly offended by those words.

"Now, see here, Dumbledore," he said, waving a finger in Dumbledore's direction. "I've given you free rein, always. I've had a lot of respect for you. I might not have agreed with some of your decisions, but I've kept quiet. There aren't many who'd have let you hire werewolves, or keep Hagrid, or decide what to teach your students without reference to the Ministry. But if you're going to work against me —"

"The only one against whom I intend to work," said Dumbledore, "is Lord Voldemort. If you are against him, then we remain, Cornelius, on the same side."

Although Hermione was rarely caught without an answer, she could easily recognize the symptoms in others, and Fudge was no exception. He rocked back and forth, spinning his hat in his hands, the absolute picture of indecisiveness. Finally, he said, with a hint of a plea in his voice, "He can't be back, Dumbledore, he just can't be…." Hermione was shocked to hear the man who was supposed to be leading their community speaking like a small child. However, that didn't even come close to the shock she got from what happened next. Snape strode forward, past Dumbledore, pulling up the left sleeve of his robes as he went. He stuck out his forearm and showed it to Fudge, who recoiled. Hermione would have done the same. On Snape's forearm was a grey tattoo, an image that was the same as —

"There," said Snape harshly. "There. The Dark Mark. It is not as clear as it was an hour or so ago, when it burned black, but you can still see it. Every Death Eater had the sign burned into him by the Dark Lord. It was a means of distinguishing one another, and his means of summoning us to him. When he touched the Mark of any Death Eater, we were to Disapparate, and Apparate, instantly, at his side. This Mark has been growing clearer all year. Karkaroff's too. Why do you think Karkaroff fled tonight? We both felt the Mark burn. We both knew he had returned. Karkaroff fears the Dark Lord's vengeance. He betrayed too many of his fellow Death Eaters to be sure of a welcome back into the fold."

Fudge stepped back from Snape; Hermione could not help but do the same. She knew from what Harry had told her that Snape had been a Death Eater. But to see it so clear, marked on his arm was something else. For a moment she wondered why Voldemort couldn't have come up with a better system, but it was obviously effective. Fudge, on the other hand, looked horrified at Snape, who was now hiding the burning Mark under his sleeve again and whispered, "I don't know what you and your staff are playing at, Dumbledore, but I have heard enough. I have no more to add. I will be in touch with you tomorrow, Dumbledore, to discuss the running of this school. I must return to the Ministry."

He had almost reached the door when he paused. He turned around, strode back down the aisle, and stopped at Harry's bed.

"Your winnings," he said shortly, taking a large bag of gold out of his pocket and dropping it onto Harry's bedside table. "One thousand Galleons. There should have been a presentation ceremony, but under the circumstances…."

He jammed his bowler hat onto his head and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The moment he disappeared, Hermione sighed. She felt suddenly very sad – if the Minister did not believe them, there was going to be a lot of trouble in the future. She looked at the Headmaster, who was surveying them over his half-moon spectacles.

"There is work to be done," he said. "Molly…am I right in thinking that I can count on you and Arthur?"

"Of course you can," said Mrs. Weasley. Though she was extremely pale, Hermione knew Mrs. Weasley was a stubborn woman. "We know what Fudge is. It's Arthur's fondness for Muggles that has held him back at the Ministry all these years. Fudge thinks he lacks proper wizarding pride."

"Then I need to send a message to Arthur," said Dumbledore. "All those that we can persuade of the truth must be notified immediately, and he is well placed to contact those at the Ministry who are not as short-sighted as Cornelius."

"I'll go to Dad," said Bill, standing up. "I'll go now."

"Excellent," said Dumbledore. "Tell him what has happened. Tell him I will be in direct contact with him shortly. He will need to be discreet, however. If Fudge thinks I am interfering at the Ministry —"

"Leave it to me," said Bill and he smiled. It was only then that Hermione realised the extent of his similarity to Ron. He clapped Harry and Ron on the shoulder, kissed his mother on the cheek, pulled on his cloak, and left the room quickly without saying anything more. She could tell that Ron was a bit disappointed that his brother had left so suddenly, but he shrugged it off.

"Minerva," said Dumbledore, turning to Professor McGonagall, "I want to see Hagrid in my office as soon as possible. Also – if she will consent to come – Madame Maxime."

Professor McGonagall nodded and swept from the room, an angry shade of red still evident on her cheeks.

"Poppy," Dumbledore said to Madam Pomfrey, "would you be very kind and go down to Professor Moody's office, where I think you will find a house-elf called Winky in considerable distress? Do what you can for her, and take her back to the kitchens. I think Dobby will look after her for us."

"Very – very well," said Madam Pomfrey. She was clearly surprised by the request, but also jumped quickly into action. It was odd to see everyone suddenly following orders and doing things when they had waited and done nothing for so long. Hermione looked at Dumbledore, who was securing himself that the door was closed and that Madam Pomfrey's footsteps had died away, before he spoke again.

"And now," he said, "it is time for two of our number to recognize each other for what they are. Sirius…if you could resume your usual form." With her mouth open, Hermione looked at him. Clearly he didn't mean to – Dumbledore wasn't planning to —?

But he evidently was, as the dog looked up at him and turned back into its human form. Hermione glanced sideways at Mrs. Weasley, hoping she would remain calm. However, Sirius's sudden appearance proved to be too much for Mrs. Weasley's already shredded nerves, as she screamed and leapt back from the bed.

"Sirius Black!" she shrieked, pointing at him.

"Mum, shut up!" Ron yelled. "It's okay!" While Ron tried to calm his mother down, Hermione looked back at Snape. The Potions Master had not yelled or jumped backward, but the look on his face was certainly an ugly one. Hermione remembered how angry he had been a year ago, when he had fount out about Sirius's disappearance and hadn't been able to prove that Harry had somehow been involved in this very room.

"Him!" he snarled, staring at Sirius, whose face showed equal dislike. "What is he doing here?"

"He is here at my invitation," said Dumbledore, looking between them, "as are you, Severus. I trust you both. It is time for you to lay aside your old differences and trust each other."

She heard Ron snort behind her and understood what he meant. It was hard to tell which of the former school enemies looked more disgusted. Neither of them liked the idea of trusting the other.

"I will settle, in the short term," said Dumbledore, somewhat impatiently, "for a lack of open hostility. You will shake hands. You are on the same side now. Time is short, and unless the few of us who know the truth stand united, there is no hope for any us."

Very slowly, giving each other the ugliest looks Hermione had ever seen, Sirius and Snape moved toward each other and shook hands. She thought they might have tried to crush each other's hands like opposing Quidditch captains had Dumbledore not been there, but since he was, they settled for letting go as quickly as possible.

"That will do to be going on with," said Dumbledore, stepping between them once more, as it still seemed that Sirius and Snape might attempt to kill each other. "Now I have work for each of you. Fudge's attitude, though not unexpected, changes everything. Sirius, I need you to set off at once. You are to alert Remus Lupin, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher - the old crowd. Lie low at Lupin's for a while; I will contact you there." Hermione could understand barely a word of what Dumbledore had said to Sirius. There was time to find that out later, though.

"But —" said Harry. He was suddenly looking very small again, and he seemed to grow paler by the second.

"You'll see me very soon, Harry," said Sirius, turning to him. "I promise you. But I must do what I can, you understand, don't you?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "Yeah…of course I do."

Sirius grasped his hand for a moment, nodded to Dumbledore, transformed back into the black dog, and ran over to the door, the handle of which he turned with a paw. Then he was gone. Ron was still whispering to his mother, trying to explain that Sirius wasn't a raving lunatic and a murderer, but he didn't seem to be doing too well. Hermione wanted to help, but also wanted to hear what Dumbledore was going to say to Snape.

"Severus," he said, turning to Snape, "you know what I must ask you to do. If you are ready…if you are prepared…."

"I am," said Snape.

He looked slightly paler than usual, and his cold, black eyes glittered strangely. Hermione had never found him creepier or…more brave. Whatever it was Dumbledore had asked, it seemed to be a great favour Snape was doing him.

"Then good luck," said Dumbledore. No sooner had he said these words than Snape turned on his heel and left the infirmary.

"No, Mum, you see, Scabbers was Wormtail! He betrayed the Potters!" she heard Ron whisper.

"So I fed a criminal for twelve years?" Mrs. Weasley hissed furiously.

When Ron nodded, she shook her head and said, "I want to hear every detail as soon as you are home for the summer holidays, young man!"

"I must go downstairs," Dumbledore said finally. "I must see the Diggorys. Harry – take the rest of your potion. I will see all of you later."

Harry slumped back against his pillows as Dumbledore disappeared. Hermione looked at him, and then glanced at Ron, who was also looking at Harry, his face full of worry.

"You've got to take the rest of your potion, Harry," said Mrs. Weasley at last. "You have a good long sleep. Try and think about something else for a while…think about what you're going to buy with your winnings!"

Hermione knew Mrs. Weasley meant well, but she couldn't help being slightly irritated with her for bringing up the subject of the prize money. Knowing Harry, he was probably thinking of the prize as blood money.

"I don't want that gold," said Harry in an expressionless voice. "You have it. Anyone can have it. I shouldn't have won it. It should've been Cedric's." His voice croaked, and he turned his face away from them.

Hermione had never felt so much pity for Harry. Just then she heard a strange buzzing noise coming from the window. _What was that?_ She thought irritably. She looked up, and suddenly, she knew exactly what it was.

"It wasn't your fault, Harry," Mrs. Weasley whispered.

But she couldn't let that – no. She stood up, and hurried towards the window. No way could she let Rita print this. Now where was that bug?

It didn't take her long to find the source of the buzzing. A fat black beetle was sitting on the window sill and tried to scuttle away as soon as it saw Hermione coming close. The beetle spread its wings, about to fly through the open window, but she quickly shut the window.

"Oh no you don't," she hissed at the insect, and with a swift move, she caught it in both hands with a clap, restraining herself to crush the beetle. The other three looked up. Hermione felt her face turn red.

"Sorry," she whispered.

"Your potion, Harry," said Mrs. Weasley quickly, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand.

Harry drank it in one gulp. His eyes closed instantly and he fell back onto his pillows.

Feeling that at least one thing had turned out okay this night, Hermione closed her eyes for a moment as well.

It had been a long, long night, but for now, most of her burning questions were answered. She sunk back on her chair, and wasn't able to fight against the sleep that was waving over her. Tomorrow, there would be new questions to answer, and she had a feeling that they would be even more dangerous and tricky. But for now, her head was completely in peace, enjoying the last moment of quietness before the storm.

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that's all!!!!  
I hope you like it, even though I disclaim inventing these characters... only the point of view of this story is mine...

Thanks to Lisa, and I'm sorry if you guys think that there is too much straight from the books...let me know if I could have done it diffrently, or if you like/hate it...

x-mokimik-x


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